Figures
by MadnessJones
Summary: Mikaela is on her way to a new life away from Sam and her troubles when she is kidnapped by a Decepticon named Swindle who wants to sell her to Megatron. The human and 'Con soon learn however that they have more in common than they thought. Takes place between the 2nd and 3rd movie.
1. Hitchhiking

_Author's Notes: Well, after months od threatening to do it, I've finally done it. I've finally written the first chapter of my first Bayverse fic. This will probably be the only movieverse story I write since I don't find the movies to be the most inspiring version of the franchise to draw from, but this story couldn't have been told in any other Transformers 'verse. I still don't know if this is going to be a Mikaela/Swindle fic or if I'm going to go in a different direction with the concept. This will be slightly AU, but like always I will do my best to keep all characters in-character. Please review, favorite, and follow to see more of this story :)_

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Chapter 1

Hitchhiking

There was sand in her sneakers irritating her feet. The road seemed to go on forever. Another text message came through on her phone. Mikaela looked to see who it was and sure enough, it was Sam once again asking her to call him. She knew what he would say. He would try to explain himself while at the same time indicating that they should get back together. She wasn't buying it. Not after what he did.

Mikaela walked along the hot empty summertime road trying to catch a ride to Bakersfield. Her aunt was there and was willing to take her in. This was not how she imagined her life turning out when she went off to college last year.

Her first bit of bad luck came when she found out the money she had squirreled away for her dorm room had mysteriously disappeared. It didn't take long for her to retrace everyone that had come into her room to figure out her dad had been the one to steal it from her. She wasn't surprised, but she was hurt from his predictable betrayal. With the money gone she had to move out of her dorm room.

Then came back luck item number two: her new car had been repossessed for nonpayment. She had been unable to find a job that allowed time for her college classes and therefore didn't have the money to keep up the payments. That would've been bad enough by itself, but without a dorm she had no place to live and no way to afford an apartment, so she was going to live in the car, but now she couldn't.

She had considered asking one of her friends if they had any spare room, but the sad fact was she didn't know anyone in town well enough to move in with them. She called Sam and asked if she could come over to visit. He said it was fine, and she thought she would bring up her need for an apartment then.

The next bit of bad luck (or bad timing) was when she made it to Sam's place a day earlier than expected thanks to the bus actually keeping its schedule for a change. She knocked on the door, and a beautiful blonde-headed girl had answered. Now, after the Alice incident, Mikaela wondered if this was another Pretender, but a quick visual scan showed all the imperfections and messiness on the girl's body that proved she was indeed human. She asked this new girl who she was, and she said she was Sam's girlfriend Thalia. Sam then came to the door wet with a towel around his waist and a look of mortification on his face. Mikaela stormed off without saying a word to him, and broke up with him by text message.

She and Sam had grown apart. She realized that now. Still, it hurt to find out he was actually _cheating_ on her. Not to mention this meant if she got in contact with the Autobots now things would only be awkward between them. The last thing she needed was Ratchet lecturing her and/or Sam about pubescent hormones and asking endless questions about their biological functions. That got old really fast.

With no money, no place to go, and no boyfriend, Mikaela dropped out of school and was at that moment hitchhiking to Bakersfield, California. Her aunt wasn't exactly the warmest person in the world, but at least it beat going to her deadbeat thieving dad, her drug-addled mother, or her senile grandmother for help.

The temperature was approaching 90 degrees, and Mikaela was getting tired. She had been walking all morning, and the afternoon sun was beating down on her hard. She saw a flashy green car drive by and held out her thumb to flag them down, but they just sped right past her and kicked up dust into the air. _Typical_. It was the fifth one that had managed to get dust in her eyes.

She trudged on in silence and hoped she would at least get to a bus stop soon. She didn't have much money left, and had planned to save her limited funds for food, but at this point air conditioning and a place to sit took precedence.

She saw a yellow jeep driving in the opposite direction, but decided to try to flag it down anyway. She hoped she could convince them to drive her to a bus stop. She held out her thumb, and blessedly the jeep stopped for her! The passenger side door opened a little, and a male voice with a Jersey accent asked "Where're ya goin'?"

"Trying to catch a ride to a bus stop," Mikaela said hoarsely; having not had anything to drink in hours, "Or Bakersfield. Whichever comes first. Could you give me a ride, please?"

"Get in," ordered the unseen driver.

Mikaela smiled wide and hopped in the jeep immediately. She shut the door and closed her eyes as she let the air conditioning blow on her sweaty face. She was so happy to not be walking in the heat anymore. She sighed contentedly and leaned back in the seat.

"You're wet," the driver commented derisively, "Could you not sit back like that? You're gettin' biofluid all over my new seat covers."

Mikaela turned to glare at the driver, but then saw that there was no one in the driver's seat. With the tinted windows she hadn't noticed that the jeep was driving itself. There were two possibilities: Autobot or Decepticon. Autobots were more likely to take the forms of ordinary cars, while Decepticons usually took on the modes of jets, helicopters, and service vehicles. This was just a jeep. It was probably an Autobot. She was sure she was safe. Why would a Decepticon help a hitchhiker, after all?

"So, um, my name is Mikaela Banes. What's your's?" Mikaela asked in an effort to start up a friendly conversation.

"I'm Swindle," the jeep replied, "I got some business here on earth. What about you? Why are you goin' all the way to California?"

"I'm going to visit my Aunt Tilly," Mikaela told him, "Wait, did you say your name is Swindle? That's a weird name."

"Yeah, well my logs indicate that your name is quite ordinary. Too ordinary if you ask me," Swindle retorted, "Besides, my name is probably the only thing I came by honest in all my vorns of trade. Anyway, you don't have to worry about gettin' to Bakersfield."

"Yeah, thanks. I really appreciate you driving me there," Mikaela replied gratefully.

"No, you don't understand. You're not goin' to Bakersfield," Swindle replied; a new sinister tone to his voice, "You're comin' with me to see a client. One I'm sure will pay through the nose cone to get his claws on you."

"What...?" Mikaela asked softly, beginning to understand the huge mistake she made in getting into this jeep, "No, wait. You can't!"

"I can't _what_ , doll face? Sell you to Megatron for a quick payday? I'm pretty sure I can, and I will," Swindle explained snidely, "After all, you're our ticket to Sam Witwicky. So just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. In a few hours, you're worm food."

Swindle then laughed a grating mechanical laugh that was common to Decepticons, and Mikaela tried in vain to get one of his doors open so she could jump out. She looked at the world whizzing by in the passenger window and realized that she was in serious danger. If she wanted to get out alive, she would have to rely on her wits to survive.

* * *

An hour had passed since Swindle had picked up the human. At first he had just stopped out of curiosity when he saw the squishy femme making that weird thumb gesture. It wasn't until he surreptitiously ran her through the Decepticon fugitive files that he discovered her importance to the Autobots and to Megatron's most hated human enemy, Sam Witwicky. Making a quick few credits while he was between missions seemed like a great use of his time. Well, it did _at first_.

Mikaela wasn't the soft submissive organic creature Swindle had been counting on her being. She had kicked his windshield repeatedly in an effort to break it. He had to send a surge of electricity through his entire frame just to get her to stop! She had screamed, which was an audio-grating sound, and then punched his dashboard in frustration despite being shocked by 30,000 volts of electricity!

"Hey sugar, if I get ya somethin' to eat will you stop tryin' to pound me into scrap?" Swindle finally asked once they were near a small town.

"Well...I am pretty hungry. _Really_ thirsty," Mikaela begrudgingly admitted, "But don't call me sugar."

"How about baby?" Swindle asked cheekily.

"How about _Mikaela_?" Mikaela snapped; irritated by her abductor's nonchalant attitude.

"How about you cut the attitude before I transform and let my gears grind you into human juice?" Swindle snapped back, tired of playing around.

Mikaela pressed her lips shut and ducked further into the seat. She was angry at this good for nothing 'Con, but she couldn't ignore the part of her that was genuinely terrified of him. Swindle chuckled at her sudden compliance, satisfied that he had finally figured out how to deal with the annoying human.

"Alright then, I've found three human fueling stations nearby," Swindle announced as he indicated their names and locations on his GPS, "Which of these places is the cheapest?"

"The taco place will probably be the cheapest," Mikaela replied, "I have two dollars. That might get me a taco and some water with a little change left over."

"Don't worry about it, doll. I've got you covered," Swindle said in a chipper tone of voice.

Swindle then opened his glove box to reveal a stack of neatly wadded brand new dollar bills. Mikaela hadn't seen so much money since her dad had the "car repair" business where they stripped stolen vehicles for parts.

"Where did you get all this money?" Mikaela asked in shocked suspicion.

"I made it," Swindle replied vaguely.

"Yes, but how?" Mikaela asked skeptically, "Was it weapons trafficking? Did you rob a bank? Is it protection money?"

"All good ideas, but far too complicated," Swindle replied, "I made this money, as in I bought a bunch of cotton-based paper rolls and a printer and _made_ it."

"I don't want to use counterfeit money," Mikaela protested, "I have two dollars. Let's just use that for my food, okay?"

"Sure, if you wanna do it the sucker's way, be my guest," Swindle scoffed.

When they got to the taco place Mikaela was tempted to scream into the speakers that she had been kidnapped and she needed help, but that idea was quickly disregarded when she realized what exactly she was dealing with. Local police couldn't handle a Decepticon! She'd need the army and the Autobots to help her, and no random Taco Casa employee was going to know how to get them there. Besides, if Swindle felt threatened he might just demolish the place. She was helpless for the moment.

When they pulled away and were nearing the window Swindle suddenly stopped; causing the car behind them to honk its horn aggressively.

"What the-?" Mikaela began to ask.

"Get in the driver's seat!" Swindle ordered harshly.

"Huh?" Mikaela asked dumbly.

"I have to look like there's a human driver in here!" Swindle explained curtly, "Get over here or I'm pullin' away without the food."

Mikaela was quick to comply as she struggled over Swindle's parking brake and raised cup holder to get to the driver's seat. He sure had picked an old and worn out alt mode. She could actually see a stick shift and a cassette player!

When they got to the window Mikaela paid for the food, was given .58 change, and took the bag and small water. Swindle drove off way too quickly and kicked up a bunch of dust behind him! Mikaela almost spilled the water, but managed to hold onto it until Swindle evened out. She was about to put her seatbelt on, but Swindle said "Nuh-uh. Get back in the passenger seat."

"Oh, come on!" Mikaela whined, "What if someone stops us? Wouldn't it look better if I were sitting here?"

"Not negotiable. Get out of my driver's seat!" Swindle snapped impatiently.

Mikaela didn't know what his problem was, and she hated climbing over things while the jeep was moving, but she didn't want to get him angry at her so she climbed back over to the passenger seat. If this was how he behaved all the time, then riding with this lunatic to get to Megatron was going to be a long grueling experience.


	2. High

_Author's Notes: I decided for this fic I'm going to have all the chapter names start with the letter H. Why? Because I get bored easily! Hah! Anyway, glad to be posting chapter 2 of this fic. I hope you are all enjoying this story. Please review, favorite, and follow to see more :)_

 _Trigger Warning: Cybertronian drug reference._

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Chapter 2

High

Mikaela gulped down her cup of water as they continued to drive down the lonely desert road. She didn't think anything could make her happy while she was being kidnapped by a Decepticon and driven to what was likely her own execution, but the water tasted better than she could ever remember water tasting. She didn't realize just how thirsty she had gotten on her walk to Bakersfield.

As she was eating her taco, some of the beef and lettuce fell onto the floor of Swindle's alt mode, and he hit the brakes hard. Mikaela hit her knee on the glove box and glared at the screens displaying their location hoping Swindle could see her disapproving gaze.

"Hey! Do that again and I'll throw you into the deepest hole I can find and bury you!" Swindle snapped angrily.

Mikaela flinched, but after a moment of thinking about what he said, she got a devilish grin on her face. She ate the rest of her taco, and then she dug around in the bag and found the little packets of hot sauce. With a slight chuckle, she emptied the hot sauce all over Swindle's seats and controls!

" _Hey_! What did I tell you, flesh bag!?" Swindle yelled furiously.

"That you were going to sell me to Megatron," Mikaela said calmly; her smile never wavering, "My fate is the same no matter what I do; I'm going to die. If you kill me, however, you won't get paid. So, until we get to the Decepticons, you're just going to have to put up with me."

"Get out!" Swindle shouted; his patience wearing thin.

"Why? So you can step on me?" Mikaela challenged.

"No! So I can drink some high grade and forget you exist!" Swindle explained curtly.

Mikaela knew she was pushing her luck, and by Decepticon standards this mech seemed almost reasonable, so she did as she was told and exited the vehicle. When she got out, Swindle drove off the road and transformed into his robot mode. Mikaela had never seen what Swindle actually looked like, and was a little surprised by what she saw. His yellow armor and black internal metal and circuitry made him look a little like Bumblebee. He was kind of short like Bumblebee, too. Of course, that was where the similarities ended. This mech didn't have door wings, and his facial features were more expressive than Bumblebee's; almost like a human.

What struck her the most though was his optics. Mikaela understood that Autobots had blue optics and Decepticons had red, with few exceptions. Swindle, however, had large purple optics. She had never seen purple optics on any Cybertronian before, and she wondered if something happened to Swindle to make them look like that, or if it was a natural optic color on Cybertron.

Swindle pulled a cube of energon out of his subspace, and then a small red gas can. He added the contents of the gas can into the cube and swished it around to stir. He gulped it down, and instantly his entire body relaxed and a wide smile formed on his face plate.

"Ah, much better," Swindle sighed contentedly, "By the way doll, you're cleanin' my seats if you ever wanna taste food and water again. I don't think Megatron would notice if your tongue was missing…"

Mikaela gulped, realizing just how far she had overstepped her boundaries. Swindle might've sounded like a 1930s gangster from a Looney Tunes short, but she could tell from the way he acted and the way he looked at her that she shouldn't mess with him.

"Um, Swindle?" Mikaela spoke up after a few minutes of tense silence when she noticed Swindle's limbs were twitching, "What did you put in that energon?"

"Never you mind," Swindle replied evasively, "Suffice it to say though that I probably won't be gettin' back on the road for a few hours. You might as well sit yourself down in the sand and rest for a while. We're not goin' anywhere."

"You're _drunk_?" Mikaela asked accusingly.

"In human terms it's more like high," Swindle clarified, "By the way, in a few minutes I might start thrashin' around, so you should probably give me some space."

"Gladly," Mikaela said immediately, "How about I go to Bakersfield? That should give you all the space you need."

"Cute," Swindle replied dryly, "Just stand by that cactus over there. I'll be back for you when I come down. _Oh_ , I can feel the charge already! Hurry! Go, go!"

Mikaela practically ran to where Swindle told her to go and stood a few inches away from a large cactus with big spiny needles. She wondered if such a thing could hurt a Cybertronian, and laughed as she imagined Swindle sitting on the cactus and yelling out in pain as he hopped around trying to get the needles out.

After a few minutes she saw what Swindle was talking about when he said thrashing. Actually, she wasn't sure if that was how she would describe it or not. Swindle's body contorted as he transformed into vehicle mode and back into robot mode repeatedly. She could hear his engine revving in both forms, and every now and then she heard a mechanical laugh.

This was perfect. Mikaela decided that while Swindle was distracted she would take this opportunity to escape. Hopefully she could get to a phone in time to warn the Autobots. Unfortunately, that would mean calling Sam…

* * *

Swindle sat on the cool sand as night fell over the desert. He hadn't gotten that over-energized in deca-orns. He had bought the petrol-based additive on a moon base he had visited a few orns prior. Normally he wouldn't buy an expensive luxury item like that for himself, but on an organic planet there weren't a lot of customers to push his wares onto. Besides, that human was _really_ irritating! He had to admit he liked her gutsy attitude on some level, but he wasn't a fan of merchandise mouthing off to him and pouring unknown liquids on his seats.

His half-dazed thoughts were cut short when he got a comm signal. He groaned, but knew he better answer it in case it was something or someone important.

/Swindle here.../ Swindle slurred as he tried to focus his processor.

/It's Vortex. Onslaught has a new mission for you,/ Vortex informed him, /You have to go to Boston, now! The boss has put out a hit on two Autobots, and it's your job to take care of them. 500 creds for each lifeless frame you bring back. Don't take any parts for yourself. Onslaught wants them as intact as possible./

/Got it,/ Swindle said as he wrote down the details on a data pad, /Who are my targets?/

/Their names are Mudflap and Skids,/ Vortex informed him, /They're combiners, and also split-spark twins./

/Well that should make my job easier,/ Swindle commented, /If I kill one, the other one will die instantly. Anything else I should know?/

/Yeah, wear audio dampeners,/ Vortex replied wryly, /Remember what Starscream sounded like after Optimus Prime damaged his vocalizer in the battle of Nuon?/

/I remember,/ Swindle replied with a shudder, /He sounded like nails scraping over protoform./

/Yeah, well imagine that with Jazz's accent, and you have Mudflap and Skids,/ Vortex said with an amused chuckle.

/Great.../ Swindle groused, /It's a good thing I've still got some P-27 in my subspace./

/Oh, yeah? How much you selling it for?/ Vortex asked eagerly.

The next few minutes were spent in negotiations between Swindle and Vortex over the price of his energon additive. Vortex didn't mind paying whatever price Swindle wanted, but he knew his combiner brother well. Vortex knew Swindle liked the art of negotiation more than the money itself, so Vortex wore him down in price just to make him happy. Vortex and Swindle were 2 of 5 mechs that could combine to form a gestalt. They weren't as famous or as effective as Devastator, but at least none of them had _wrecking balls_ as part of their motif.

Swindle signed off with Vortex, pleased with the deal he'd made and happy at the prospect of making even more money after he took down two Autobots for Onslaught. One thing he was surprised by over the course of the conversation was when Vortex informed him of Megatron's whereabouts. As it turned out Megatron and his elite forces were somewhere in Africa. That...was a long way from North America.

The Decepti-con-artist sighed and squared his shoulder guards; resolute that he would get every deal done he set out to do. He would kill the Autobots, deliver the additive to Vortex, and sell the human to Megatron in Africa. He was sure he could do it all...until he noticed something important he'd missed before…

The human was gone.

* * *

Mikaela had walked for two hours to find a town, and another half hour to find a pay phone. She was surprised any place still had such devices when everyone had cell phones. She wished she still had her cell phone, but she sold it to another student a while back when she was trying to earn money to pay for her dorm room. In hindsight, that was a mistake.

She dug around in her pockets for money to put in the pay phone. She had enough for a 2 minute call, so she would have to talk fast. She dialed Sam's number and hoped he answered for her. She had to tell him to warn the Autobots about Swindle.

 _Ring._

 _Ring._

"Hello?" Sam's voice on the other end of the phone was such a welcome sound it didn't even matter to her that they had broken up on bad terms.

"Sam! It's me, Mikaela! Listen, I need to tell you-"

 _Click_.

"What the…?" Mikaela let go of the phone in shock and took a few deep breaths.

Sam hung up on her. He heard her voice and hung up on her!

"Sam Witwicky, you are a coward!" Mikaela shouted as she slammed the pay phone back in its holder, "You can save the world but you're afraid of an awkward conversation!? I hope you get your finger stuck in a car door!"

"Somethin' wrong, baby?" She heard an ominously familiar voice, and turned around to see a familiar '89 Jeep Wrangler Islander.

"I, uh…" Mikaela was frozen in place. She wanted to run, but realized she had nowhere to go.

"You know babe, it's rude to run out on a mech when he's in a compromised position. I think someone owes me an apology," Swindle said in a condescending tone of voice as he flashed his headlights as a signal for her to get in.

"He hung up on me," Mikaela suddenly said, no longer caring that she was talking to her captor, "I needed Sam's help, and he hung up on me. What did I _ever_ see in him? He's such a coward! He was never honest with me! If he didn't want to be my boyfriend anymore, then why couldn't he just tell me? If I wasn't making him happy, then why couldn't he just tell me?"

"You don't really want honesty," Swindle replied bluntly, "Honesty would be if your boyfriend said 'Hey babe, I think you're hot, but I want another girlfriend and also be allowed to frag you too. That okay?' Yeah, I doubt that's what you wanted to hear."

"I knew things weren't the same between us after he went to college," Mikaela said morosely, "We tried to make it work, but we were leading separate lives. He was going places, and I was just trying to keep my dad sober so the bike repair shop didn't go under. I thought if I reached for new heights too that maybe...maybe he would...Sam was the first guy to see past my looks and see the real me. He saw the way I worked on his car and didn't automatically think I was going to destroy it. Every other guy treated me like an accessory, but not Sam. I don't want to care what he thinks, but I can't help it. I loved him, and now he thinks I'm garbage!"

"So Sam won't come for you if Megatron tries to ransom you off?" Swindle asked intently.

"I don't know," Mikaela replied miserably, "What am I doing with my life? My aunt doesn't even know I'm coming. If she doesn't take me in, then I have nowhere else I can live. What did I do to deserve this?"

Swindle didn't know if he was actually feeling bad for the human femme or if he was just overcharged, but he didn't like seeing her like this. It just didn't look right on such a strong-willed pain in the aft.

"Hey, come on sugar, cheer up," Swindle said in a fake cheerful voice as he opened his passenger side door, "Believe it or not, I know what you're goin' through. You think it's easy bein' a Cybertronian durin' a time of war? I was just a merchant before the whole world went to the pit. I tried to stay neutral so I could sell to both sides, but it wasn't that simple. When Helex was invaded (that was where I lived at the time), I had a choice to make; Autobot or Decepticon."

"Why did you pick the Decepticons?" Mikaela asked despite herself.

"Because some of my business dealings were shady," Swindle replied shamelessly, "The Autobots would've never allowed me to continue on the way I was, but the Decepticons were willin' to turn a blind optic to everythin' so long as I had the goods they wanted. I sold everythin' from drugs to spare parts to femmes to weapons that had been illegal for deca-vorns. I survived because everybody needed what I had. If you wanna survive, you have to become invaluable. It sounds to me like you were kicked to the curb because you stopped bein' useful. Stick with me babe, and I'll see to it you're never thrown away again."

"Why would you help me?" Mikaela asked skeptically.

"Why else? Profit," Swindle replied honestly, "Get in. We're goin' to Boston. You can help me with a little side project there. You do your job, and I'll see to it you get a cut."

"What's the job?" Mikaela asked as she stood in front of his door; still wary of getting in again.

"I've got somethin' important for two Autobots named Mudflap and Skids," Swindle explained, "Help me find them, and I'll deliver the goods to them. No one else can know. I can't afford to be seen makin' deals with Autobots, but they know you so you're a good go-between."

"And what about selling me to Megatron?" Mikaela asked skeptically.

"We'll worry about tomorrow when it comes," Swindle replied evasively, "Just get into me. Just do one job with me, and if you're any good I might keep you around for a while as a silent partner. Emphasis on _silent_."

Mikaela scoffed but realized she had little choice in the matter. This seemed like the ultimate irony to her. She had tried so hard to escape only to wind up going back to Swindle willingly. She hated working with a Decepticon, even to help out the Autobots, but she knew she had nowhere else to go. At least with Swindle she had a place to sleep.

Swindle had his plans fall apart in front of him when he realized Mikaela was worthless to Megatron, but the con-mech was nothing if not adaptable. He decided that since Mikaela wouldn't be useful as merchandise, he would instead use her as bait. He would kill Mudflap and Skids after Mikaela lured them out into the open. Oh, and Mikaela would get a _cut_ alright...a literal one.


	3. Helpless

_Author's Notes: Hi guys, I'm back with chapter 3! I have to say, the fun part of writing this fic is trying to write Swindle in a way that makes him compatible with the Bayverse movies. I couldn't just make him the same as his other incarnations since there is more than one, so I kept the greediness that he has in every version and made him more threatening. One thing about the Bayverse Decepticons, they are truly terrifying. So, I made Swindle less of a cheat and more of a gangster. I also like writing Mikaela since I feel like the movies really wasted her character. They built her up as strong and capable, but then just used it as an excuse to show off her butt. So, hopefully what I'm doing here is working. Thank you for reading, and please review :)_

* * *

Chapter 3

Helpless

Mikaela had been riding with Swindle to Boston for two days. They might have been there by now, but Swindle kept getting lost. At the moment they were somewhere in northern Ohio. Mikaela still didn't know what Swindle wanted with Mudflap and Skids, but she was already beginning to think something was very wrong here. Swindle was being evasive when she asked him questions, and he was constantly on his comm unit making deals and talking to various 'Cons. She didn't know what that meant for her, but she was worried.

Swindle, meanwhile, had been speaking with a couple of his business partners; The Combaticons. Brawl had been killed while on this planet, but Swindle still had his other three contacts Onslaught, Vortex, and Blast Off. Blast Off agreed to disengage from orbiting the planet to aid Swindle in his quest to kill Mudflap and Skids in exchange for 30 percent of the profits. Vortex, meanwhile, had managed to get a hold of Starscream who in turn spoke to Megatron. Vortex informed Swindle that Megatron was, in fact, interested in purchasing Mikaela for 4,000 credits.

Swindle had to agree to a finder's fee to get the information from Vortex, but he knew it would be worth it. He had managed to keep Mikaela on the hook for this long. All he had to do was keep her from finding out what he was planning for her and he'd be on easy street.

It was during a comm Swindle received around midnight that Mikaela got wind of what was really going on. She had been half awake and half asleep when Swindle got another message from Vortex, and since he thought Mikaela was asleep he opened the comm on speaker for better reception.

"Hey Swindle, you good for nothin' fragger!" Vortex greeted him with affectionate rancour, "Where the pit are you now, anyway? Blast Off says he's been trackin' your movements and you've gone around several cities in circles! You didn't buy another faulty GPS again, did you?"

"Stop ridin' my bumper, ya glitch!" Swindle ribbed Vortex in return, "I'm outside a city called Cleveland and I'll probably be in Boston before the orn is out. So, where did Megatron wanna meet me again?"

"Starscream is your contact, not Megatron," Vortex clarified, "Megatron has newsparks in Africa and can't afford to leave them right now. Starscream wants you to meet him someplace called Lake Superior after your mission to assassinate those two Autobots is complete."

"Newsparks? How did Megatron get those?" Swindle asked curiously.

"No clue. I haven't exactly been where the action is," Vortex replied indifferently, "A good Combaticon knows when to confront, when to deal, and when to run. Poor Brawl, the slagger just didn't know when to run."

"Too true, he never was very bright," Swindle agreed, "So, are there any special instructions for how Megatron wants this human? I can kill her in advance, dress her up nice for him, rough her up a bit, you name it. I could even get a few more humans if he wants them for anythin'."

"Don't bother," Vortex replied, "Starscream says he wants her surprised to see him. Also, Megatron might be in the market for some sabot-proof armor. I know you're the mech with the connections. Just tell me where to go to get it, and I'm there."

"Itchin' to get off this rock, huh? I don't blame you," Swindle remarked, "I'll deal with my mission to kill the Autobots, and then I'll bring Mikaela straight to the lake and into Starscream's waiting arms. As for the armor, I would suggest comming Blitzwing. He ain't exactly stable, but that mech knows armor. Fly safely, slag heap!"

With that Swindle cut off the comm, completely unaware that Mikaela had been listening in to his conversation. Now she knew the truth. He was going to kill Mudflap and Skids, and he was going to sell her after all. She had to get out of this predicament. She couldn't count on Sam, she couldn't count on the authorities, and she couldn't even count on the Autobots. If Mikaela was going to survive, she would have to figure this out on her own.

* * *

The next morning Swindle stopped at a gas station to refuel himself and allow Mikaela to buy herself something to eat and drink. She had no more money, so she was forced to use Swindle's counterfeit money to buy what she needed. She got a coffee, some beef jerky, and some snack cakes. She was also able to use the bathroom, which she was grateful for. She had been holding it for quite some time since Swindle didn't like to stop for her unless absolutely necessary.

While eating one of the cakes, a Snowball, she thought about how to escape the Decepticon jeep. She couldn't just run again. He would find her. She couldn't get far enough away to call anyone. There wasn't anyone to call anyway. She thought about her options, and then she realized that she would have to be the one to get Swindle's gasoline. A smile crept onto her face as she realized this was her chance to take control and make good her escape.

"Hey doll face, I ain't got all day!" Swindle barked at her, "There's a cube in the trunk. Fill it up!"

"Sure thing Swindle, _whatever_ you say…" Mikaela replied in a sickly-sweet tone.

She then filled up the cube just as Swindle had instructed. She didn't fill it up with gasoline though. She filled it up with diesel, a fuel she knew his alt mode wasn't built to accommodate. She didn't know what it would do to him, but she hoped it would immobilize him enough for her to be able to get away.

* * *

Swindle sputtered and blew fumes as he drove down the road. He couldn't remember the last time he had such horrible indigestion.

"Uh...Earthlings sure don't know much about refining fuel," Swindle groaned, "Ugh, I feel sick…"

"It might not be the fuel," Mikaela replied; trying not to snicker as she recited her cover story, "I don't know if you realize this, but there's this thing that's been going around on earth...it's called _car flu_."

"Yikes!" Swindle exclaimed nervously, "You don't think I've got this _car flu_ , do you?"

"You might," Mikaela shrugged innocently, "Of course the only cure for car flu is to go see your local mechanic and get your engine cleaned. You're lucky though Swindle, because if you check my public records you'll see I'm a qualified mechanic. I can fix you up in no time, and there should be no permanent damage."

"You'd do that for me?" Swindle asked; genuinely touched (though confused) that she cared about him, "Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt to check. Okay babe, look me over."

With those words Swindle transformed into robot mode, holding Mikaela in his palm to make sure she wasn't squished. He then set her down gently on the ground off to the side of the road.

"Okay Swindle, you need to transform into jeep mode before I can check you out," Mikaela instructed him.

Swindle did as he was told, and soon Mikaela had popped his hood and was working on his internals. She wasn't used to alien tech, but there were a few parts in Swindle she recognized, and a few parts was all she needed. Swindle felt pretty good having Mikaela work on him. It felt almost like getting a massage to him, and soon he was practically in recharge while her soft tiny fingers fiddled around with his engine. If this was the cure for car flu, then Swindle thought he should get sick more often.

"Okay Swindle, I'm all done," Mikaela said in a sing-song voice as she closed his hood back up, "All I had to do was remove a few parts. Everything should be fine now."

"So I'm cured?" Swindle asked, "We can get back on the road?"

Mikaela's response was to flip him off as she slowly walked away. That was when Swindle realized...he was _stuck_. He couldn't move, and he couldn't transform back into robot mode! He was trapped on the side of the road as an immobile jeep!

"You good for nothin' glitch!" Swindle yelled as Mikaela walked further into the distance, "When I get outta this I'll kill you! You hear me! I'll sell you for scrap! Oh, wait, humans don't call it that. One second...okay, I looked it up! I'll sell you for organs! Yeah, that's what I'll do! You'll rue the day you ever messed with Swindle! _You hear me_!?"

Swindle's impotent cries went unanswered however as Mikaela walked away. She didn't know where she would go, but she'd rather start her life over again with nothing than allow Swindle or any other Decepticon near her again. This time she wasn't going to allow her circumstances to make her weak.

* * *

Mikaela had gone to the public library to use the computer and searched for Will Lennox's information. She finally found a phone number she could call and hoped that he was home. She didn't know what the army captain could do, but he was the only one left she could think of that had a stable home and would still talk to her. She found a pay phone, dialed, and much to her relief Sarah answered the phone!

"Hello?" Sarah said, and Mikaela could hear her toddler Annabelle in the background.

"Sarah, this is Mikaela Banes," Mikaela replied; relief clear in her voice, "I know this is probably...listen, I need someone to pick me up, and I was wondering if Will or somebody was around to help me."

"Where are you?" Sarah asked.

"Um...I'm in a town called Painesville, Ohio," Mikaela replied sheepishly, "I was taken by Decepticons and barely managed to escape. Could you send Ironhide or somebody to come get me?"

" _Ohio_?" Sarah asked incredulously, "Sweetie, we live in Texas! Besides, Ironhide and Will are on a mission right now. There's no way I could drive all the way to Ohio! I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do. Do you want me to call someone else?"

"No thanks. That's okay," Mikaela replied quietly, "I'll just find a bus or something. Thanks anyway. Bye."

Mikaela hung up and leaned her head against the side of the pay phone. She sighed a defeated sigh and wondered where she could go from there. She didn't know what else to do, so she found a bench in front of a small store and sat down. She would sit there until she could think of something better, and hope that Swindle didn't contact any Decepticons nearby that would want to step on her.

* * *

Mikaela awoke when she felt wind rushing around her body. She felt herself being elevated, and since she was used to the sensation she knew she was being held in a Cybertronian's hand. She opened her eyes and saw an unfamiliar dark purple and gunmetal grey mech with dull red optics staring down at her. Then she saw the symbol on his shoulder guards. It was a Decepticon!

"Ah! Who _are_ you? What are you doing?" Mikaela yelled angrily; hiding the fact that she was terrified at the moment.

" _This_ is the one that gave you so much trouble?" The mech asked in a British accent as he rolled his optics at his companion, "Why, it's no bigger than my little digit!"

Mikaela turned to see who the mech was talking to, and felt her stomach drop when she recognized Swindle. She could tell her captor was taller than Swindle, but she also noticed Swindle had more mounted weapons on his body. She didn't know what that meant, but she knew for her it meant trouble.

"You'd be surprised," Swindle replied dryly to his accomplice, "Trust me Blast Off, the human race is every bit as underhanded and cutthroat as we are. In a different reality, I could've been their king."

"So, do you want to step on her or should I just crush her in my fist?" Blast Off asked in a conversational manner that didn't fit the macabre subject matter.

"No, wait!" Mikaela shouted, "It was just a prank! Can't you take a joke?"

"Depends," Swindle replied sourly, "Can you take a direct shot from my ionically charged plasma cannons?"

"Oh, come on! You'd do the same thing in my position!" Mikaela argued with Swindle, "You're trying to _sell_ me to Megatron! Do you have any idea what he'll do to me!?"

"I make it a habit not to ask my clients questions like that," Swindle rattled off in a manner that told Mikaela he'd said those words many times before, "Listen, I was pretty mad at you when you rigged my body to freeze up like that. I wanted to splatter your guts on the pavement and sell the footage to a driving school for their disgusting traffic safety videos. Yes, I thought it through that much. However, in traveling with my companion Blast Off I've had time to cool down, and I realize my bottom line is more important than revenge. So, I'm gonna be generous and let you live long enough to see your old pal Megatron. I make more money doing that than killing you myself. I'm sure you understand, babe."

"I'm not going back with you!" Mikaela snapped defiantly, "You might as well just kill me, because I will never stop trying to get away from you!"

"My my, she is a testy little thing, isn't she?" Blast Off commented drolly.

"Yeah," Swindle chuckled, "It's cute that she thinks she has a choice. Just for that one, no more front seat privileges. Blast Off, stick her in my trunk."

Swindle then transformed into his alt mode, and Blast Off forced the struggling young woman into Swindle's undersized trunk. Mikaela felt like she was tied in a knot as the engine started in earnest and Swindle drove away with her. She knew it would be several hours, maybe even days, before he reached his destination. She just hoped he remembered to let her out sometime before then.


	4. Haggle

_Author's Notes: Well, I feel bad for putting off this chapter not only because I took too long, but I left it on a cliffhanger! Oops ^_^'_

* * *

Chapter 4

Haggle

Mikaela lost track of the time she was trapped in Swindle's trunk. Her arms and legs ached for movement, but there was no way she could move in the tiny space. She tried to be strong, but every now and then she found herself silently crying. That would earn a reprimand from Swindle, who apparently didn't like tears on his alt mode's interior.

She hoped he wasn't planning on going all the way to Africa with her stuffed inside him like this. She was sure she wouldn't survive the trip if that was the case. At this point she would take living with her thieving dad over this kind of treatment. That thought only made her feel even more hopeless.

Finally, after many hours, Swindle popped open his trunk to allow the cold night air to hit her body.

"Alright babe, get out," Swindle ordered, "I gotta transform."

Mikaela had trouble moving due to hours of inactivity and being bunched up like a pretzel. She could now feel that every extremity on her was asleep as she stood up and looked out at where she was. She knew they were going to Boston, so when she saw a starry night sky and an entire forest of trees she was naturally confused.

"Where are we?" Mikaela asked; her voice raspy from dehydration.

"Beartown State Forest," Swindle replied, "I'm meetin' someone here, and I expect you to be on your best behavior."

"It's not Starscream, is it?" Mikaela asked worriedly.

"No, it's one of my contacts," Swindle told her, "His name's Vortex. He's a helicopter former. He's not military design like Blackout. That guy was always too obvious. Vortex prefers the civilian frames to keep people from suspectin' him of anythin' illegal."

"Why are you meeting him?" Mikaela asked suspiciously.

"None of your business," Swindle replied curtly, "Now, you wanna do somethin' useful or just stand there like a light pole? Here, take this gas can and fill it with water. I've been overheatin' ever since your stupid stunt that paralyzed me. By the way, I still owe you for that one."

"You left me in your trunk for hours. I think we're even," Mikaela replied dryly.

Mikaela let out a sharp breath but did as she was told. She just hoped she could find the nearest source of water without getting lost in the dark forest. The place was called _Beartown_. She hoped that didn't mean actual bears.

Mikaela stumbled through the woods for ten minutes before she found a stream. She considered herself lucky since it could've taken much longer. She scooped up some of the water to drink, and then went to work filling the gas can for Swindle. She didn't want to keep helping him after all the crappy things he did to her, but at the same time part of her was still afraid of him. It seemed like he didn't care what was thrown at him, he'd just keep doing whatever he felt like doing. It was scary to think of a condescending creep like him also being practically unstoppable. She really needed the Autobots right now. She also wished she could warn Mudflap and Skids of the danger they were in. As it was, she was unable to contact anyone.

As Mikaela made her way back she heard owls in the trees and several things scratching around. She didn't know what kind of animals those noises were coming from, and she didn't want to find out. She walked quickly back to where she thought Swindle had parked, but she couldn't seem to find the trail no matter where she went. Mikaela soon realized she was lost, and in an unfamiliar forest at a time of night when there were no people nearby!

She ran further and further, and tripped a couple times. She was getting colder since she was only wearing a tank top and shorts, and nothing looked familiar anymore. She stopped to catch her breath, and set the gas can down so she could rest. She didn't know where to go or what to do, and there were cuts on her legs from falling on twigs and rocks.

After a few minutes she heard a noise, and wondered if it was a bear. She stood up, preparing to run, when she saw a couple of trees break apart and then saw Swindle coming for her in robot mode.

"Why'd you go all the way out here?" Swindle asked her, "You weren't tryin' to run away again, were you?"

"How on earth did you find me _this_ _time_?" Mikaela asked incredulously, "I was lost in the middle of the woods! Were you following me?"

"No, babe. I have you bugged is all," Swindle replied nonchalantly, "When you fell asleep inside me that first night I implanted a trackin' chip in your back. Rule number one of sellin' live merchandise: prepare for runners. So, you got my water?"

Mikaela nodded deftly and handed the gas can back to Swindle. She would've been upset that she was microchipped like a stray dog, but at the same time she had been terrified of being lost in the forest, so she was kind of glad someone was there; even if it was Swindle.

They walked together to a parking area where a drab grey helicopter was already parked. She assumed that was Vortex, and her notion was confirmed when he transformed upon seeing Swindle.

"Hey Swindle, you old rust bucket! Hahahaha!" Vortex cackled madly before he and Swindle bumped arms in what seemed to be a friendly gesture, "So, is this little thing the merch you're sellin' to Megatron?"

"Yeah, and so far she's been a real pain in the aft," Swindle said casually, causing Mikaela to scowl at him, "Still, I think I'll miss the little glitch when she's gone. It's fun to see her riled up."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You got my stuff?" Vortex asked eagerly.

"Sure thing, pal. The best P-27 this side of the galaxy," Swindle replied as he took a vial of his _enhanced_ energon out of subspace, "So, you got my creds?"

"Yeah, yeah," Vortex grumbled without malice as he searched his subspace for the money, "It's been a pretty busy orn for you, huh? First we finally collect Brawl, then you find a little trinket to sell to Megatron, then you make a deal with me, and now you've got work doin' a hit for Onslaught. Well, I hope you don't mind, but I found you somethin' else to do as well."

"Oh yeah? How lucrative?" Swindle asked as his purple optics sparkled with the possibilities swirling in his processor.

"It ain't the best deal in the quadrant, but it will help you to get rid of that scrap metal you've been haulin' around in your subspace since the funeral," Vortex shrugged.

 _Funeral_? Mikaela didn't like the sound of that. It sounded like Swindle was carrying around a dead Transformer, or at least part of one, in his subspace pocket. Mikaela thought she would be sick due to how callous these two were acting about a person that had died and was now being sold for scrap.

"So who wants to buy it?" Swindle asked; unconcerned.

Vortex looked around suspiciously first, and then leaned in real close to Swindle's audio receptor.

" _Laserbeak_ ," Vortex whispered conspiratorially.

"That assassin that works for Soundwave?" Swindle asked incredulously, "I've never dealt with him before. What's he like?"

"Creepy, _very_ creepy, and that's comin' from me! Hahahahaha!" Vortex cackled like a mad-mech once again, and Mikaela gulped at the implications of what this new mech might be like, "Seriously though, don't turn your back on him. Also, check yourself for listenin' devices before drivin' away. Laserbeak likes to stalk people before goin' in for the kill.

"Charmin'," Swindle replied sarcastically, "Send him to the coordinates I'm blastin' through your comm. I won't wait too long since I'm in a hurry to get perishable goods to Africa."

"Perishable goods!?" Mikaela exclaimed before she thought, and ducked her head when they both looked down at her.

"So it does talk! Hahahahaha!" Vortex laughed maniacally, "What else does it do?"

"Hey, I'm not an _it_!" Mikaela snapped despite being surrounded by two giant robot gangsters.

"It knows how to paralyze mechs in vehicle mode," Swindle purposefully used the word _it_ to annoy Mikaela.

"Really?" Vortex asked excitedly, "What's Megatron payin' you? I might be able to make you a better offer."

"Nope, no way," Swindle shot down the offer before he even heard it, "Look, I love profit as much as the next guy, maybe more, but I also love my spark remainin' in my chassis. Megatron would kill me if I sold his new toy before he even had a chance to play with it."

"Did you have to put it like that?" Mikaela asked disgustedly, "Oh great, now I'm picturing it!"

"Picturin' what? Is it painful?" Vortex asked curiously.

"I'll tell ya later," Swindle said before transforming into vehicle mode, "Say Vortex, could you shove the human in my trunk?"

" _Again_?" Mikaela whined, "I thought you wanted to take me to Megatron alive!"

"Oh, alright," Swindle groused, "You can ride in the front again, but anymore of your sass and you're ridin' strapped to the undercarriage."

Mikaela sighed miserably but did as she was told. She knew she could figure out a way to escape eventually, but she needed more time. In the meantime, however, she would have to make due with sitting quietly and trying to not upset Swindle before she had a chance to make a break for it.

As they drove away she watched as Vortex transformed into helicopter mode and took off. Soon he couldn't even be seen anymore due to his color matching so well with the night sky.

"Hey babe," Swindle's voice came through the radio; startling Mikaela since she wasn't paying attention to him, "Do you know what Vortex wanted you for?"

Mikaela could hear the amusement in Swindle's voice, so therefore assumed that whatever the answer was wasn't a good one.

"I'm guessing target practice or something," Mikaela muttered as she continued to look out the window.

"Nope," Swindle replied in a chipper tone of voice Mikaela was beginning to find both irritating and frightening, "You see, Vortex is a professional torturer. Before the war when the Combaticons were just a crime syndicate, Vortex was the guy who made our clients _pay_ when they didn't have the credits. When we joined the Decepticons Megatron used Vortex's gifts to extract information from Autobot prisoners. Do you see where I'm goin' with this?"

"He was...going to practice his torture on me?" Mikaela guessed apprehensively.

"Not exactly," Swindle replied, "I think he liked the idea of you paralyzin' mechs. It's a novelty to him. I mean, what kind of torturer wouldn't want a pet that could learn those kinds of tricks?"

"So why are you telling me this anyway?" Mikaela asked; tired of this conversation.

"Just in case," Swindle replied nonchalantly, "If Megatron backs out, then Vortex is my next contact. Either way, I'll get a good price for you."

* * *

They drove for a couple hours until they made it to an airstrip a couple miles from the private residence of some wealthy tech billionaire. Mikaela didn't know anything about this Laserbeak 'Con they were supposed to meet, but she was nervous. It seemed like every contact Swindle had was terrifying, and Swindle himself while annoying was still kind of scary.

"Laserbeak just comm'ed me," Swindle announced, "Get outta me. I gotta transform."

Mikaela did as she was told and Swindle shifted until he was back in robot mode. She looked to see what Swindle was doing, and noticed he was looking up at the sky. She wondered if Laserbeak was a seeker like Starscream or another helicopter like Vortex or Blackout.

Laserbeak flew down and landed in front of them, and Mikaela's eyes went wide with incredulity when she saw him. He was short! He wasn't even as tall as Mikaela herself, and he looked like the world's ugliest vulture/ostrich hybrid. His red optics bulged, and his long neck twisted and slithered like a snake's body.

"So Swindle, I see you have a new plaything," Laserbeak taunted Swindle as he eyed Mikaela, "I didn't know you were into organics."

"I got the frame you're lookin' for," Swindle replied; ignoring any statements made about Mikaela.

He then hefted a large beat up frame from his subspace, and Mikaela recognized the remains of Brawl; the Decepticon Bumblebee killed during the day of the Battle of Mission City.

"Nice. _Very nice_ ," Laserbeak hissed as he flew circles around the carcass, "I'll give you 200 creds for it."

"Are you kiddin'? For parts as exclusive as these?" Swindle asked in offense that was clearly staged so he could haggle, "Look at these cannons! Look at those ice-resistant treads! Look at that rust proof platin'! You insult me with your offer!"

"I will not pay more than 200 creds," Laserbeak replied firmly, "If you wish for me to take my business elsewhere, then I will. Soundwave and the rest of the assassins' guild will hear about your attempt to scam me. I doubt you want to lose their tolerance over such a paltry thing as credits. So, do you _still_ want more money?"

Swindle was nervous, Mikaela could tell. Whoever this Laserbeak was, he clearly held a lot of power among the Decepticons. Mikaela didn't know what the other assassins were like, but considering how the Decepticons treated everyone around them it would be fair to assume this was a veiled death threat. On the one hand if Swindle died, she could escape his clutches. Then again, she could be killed or captured by that creep Laserbeak. Mikaela decided she preferred the devil she knew, so she thought of a way to help Swindle.

"Well...200 credits..." Swindle muttered quietly to himself; seemingly torn between the profit from the frame or his life, "Well..."

"He wants 500!" Mikaela suddenly blurted out.

"What!?" Swindle yelled in shock as he stared down at her.

" _Excuse_ me?" Laserbeak snapped as he leaned in close to Mikaela, "Say that again, _flesh bag_."

"Look, you obviously flew a long way for this body," Mikaela argued; showing no fear against the angry bird, "You wanted this mech's frame pretty badly, and I don't think you're willing to leave without it. I don't know what the story is here, and I don't care, but if you want this thing then you're going to pay what it's worth; to both you and Swindle. Understand?"

Swindle cringed at her aggressive attitude. He was sure Laserbeak was going to kill his merchandise and lose him a lot of credits, not to mention the lousy sum he wanted to pay for Brawl. _And this day had started out so well._ He thought to himself.

"Hm...Alright, 400, and not a single credit more," Laserbeak growled and his attention turned back to Swindle.

"Deal!" Swindle said in a more rushed manner than he normally would, but he was afraid of losing the sale and his human.

Laserbeak and Swindle conducted their transaction quickly, and soon Laserbeak had the body in his subspace while Swindle was 400 credits richer. He transformed back into jeep mode, and Mikaela climbed in reluctantly.

"You know babe, that took some brass bearin's," Swindle commented approvingly, "You've got a real knack for the hard sell. Word of advice though, a friendly disarmin' demeanor usually works better than tryin' to put pressure on the client."

"I'll keep that in mind," Mikaela replied sardonically; still in a bad mood.

"Ah, don't be that way, babe," Swindle said soothingly as he turned on his heater to keep her warm, "Look, this ain't personal, okay? I don't hate you. In fact, I could almost like you on days like this. Problem is, I can't break a contract with the big guy, and I promised him one intact human meddler. Who knows? Maybe you can convince him to let you join the 'Cons. I wouldn't mind havin' a sadistic shrew like you on my team. Especially now that we're down one."

"I can't believe you sold your teammate's body," Mikaela said disgustedly, "That just seems so... _wrong_."

"It ain't the first time," Swindle replied; his tone suddenly subdued, "The Combaticon Crime Syndicate used to be huge. We were the most feared organized crime ring on all of Cybertron. Nobody would've treated us the way Laserbeak did today. When the war came though, a lot of us died. Eventually only five of us were left. We got desperate to survive and, well...Have you ever heard of Devastator?"

"Yeah, he was killed in Egypt. I was there," Mikaela replied; wondering where this was going.

"Not he, _they_ ," Swindle corrected her, "Devastator was the first combiner unit ever built. He was one of Shockwave's experiments, but for legal reasons most mechs don't know Shockwave was the inventor of the gestalt merge code."

" _First_? There are _more_ of those things?" Mikaela asked worriedly.

"A few, maybe," Swindle replied casually, "As I was sayin' though, we got desperate to stay alive since so many from both sides wanted us all terminated. I went to the black market searchin' for a weapon that would keep us alive, and instead I found someone sellin' a copy of the merge code chips. There were five of them, and once installed they could never be removed. It was a risk, but ultimately worth it, as we combined ourselves to form the gestalt mech named _Bruticus_."

"You're part of a _combiner team_!?" Mikaela asked incredulously; now even more afraid of him.

"Not anymore," Swindle replied bitterly, "Brawl's dead."

Mikaela didn't say anything else as they continued to drive down the road. She had missed her chance at escape then, and wondered if she had made a mistake in not letting Laserbeak kill Swindle. Then again, for a reason she didn't quite understand, she didn't want to see him die. She knew that people like him weren't born, or built, to be criminals. Hard haggling, credit hoarding, unscrupulous people like Swindle were forged in poverty and/or difficult circumstances. She knew, because she came from a family that had been forged in that fire for generations.


	5. Heroism

_Author's Notes: I don't know what's worse, the fact that I waited a year to update this fic or the fact that this chapter introduces new characters nobody asked for. Don't worry though; I think this chapter, while short, turned out pretty well. Also, I just noticed the new feature in the Doc Manager section where you can keep your files up to a year. That's pretty handy. Anyway, thank you to everyone who has checked out this story, and I hope you will favorite, follow, and review :)_

* * *

Chapter 5

Heroism

Ron and Judy Witwicky were happy to see their son, who was visiting them from college. He had been upset ever since his breakup with Mikaela, but things were finally starting to look up for him since he met a new girl that made him happy; a White House correspondent named Carly Spencer.

Sam didn't come alone, however, as he also had two roommates now. Well, more like two mechanical pests, but he seemed to get along with them well enough. His parents were surprisingly nonchalant about the whole alien robot thing ever since they met Bumblebee, and Sam was grateful for that.

That evening the family had eaten dinner together for the first time in a while, and Wheelie and Brains loafed about on the couch yelling at contestants on Wheel of Fortune. The rain trickled outside and the sky was dark, but inside the house was warm and bright. It was a peaceful scene at the Witwicky house, but everything was interrupted when there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it!" Judy called out as she rushed to see who was at the door.

She peered through the peephole to see who was on the other side of the door, and was surprised to see it was Mikaela's father standing out in the rain holding a bottleneck under a wet brown paper bag and holding onto a dog's leash. Judy opened the door and could instantly smell the whiskey on his breath.

"Cal, what are you doing out this late?" Judy exclaimed as she tried not to wince from the smell of alcohol.

"Howya doin'?" Mr. Banes slurred, "The dog keeps crappin' immy g'rage,"

"Um...okay," Judy nodded to humor him, but in reality had no idea what that had to do with anything, "You should come inside. I can get you a towel to dry off with."

"I don' wan' this no more," Cal mumbled as he handed Judy the leash, "Mikaela's been gone for two weeks. Here ya go. Have a good one."

"What? Hey, come back here!" Judy ran outside in her slippers holding the dog's leash and trying to catch up with Cal, "You can't leave your dog with us! Hey, don't you get in that car, mister! Hey, don't you dare turn that key!"

Of course he turned the key, and then quickly drove away leaving a soaked Mrs. Witwicky standing out on the sidewalk with the newly abandoned mastiff.

"Oh dear, what _are_ we going to do with you?" Judy asked wearily as she looked into the animal's innocent brown eyes.

Judy walked back into the house with the dog in tow, and Ron immediately freaked out when he saw his wife was bringing a big dog in the house.

"Hey! Don't bring that mutt in here! He's getting his muddy paw prints all over the carpet!" Ron yelled.

"Aw, scrap! It's slobberpuss!" Wheelie shouted as he jumped up on the mantle to avoid the big dog, "Brains, it's the monster mutt!"

"Yikes, and I thought organics couldn't get any uglier!" Brains commented critically of the dog as it stared boredly back at them.

"Mom, Dad, what's the problem?" Sam asked as he walked in the room, "Oh, hey! It's Bones! What is he doing here? Is Mikaela here?"

"No, Mr. Banes dropped off his dog," Judy explained; still bewildered about the situation, "He said Mikaela's been gone for two weeks and never came back for this poor little fella. What are we supposed to do with this thing? I don't think Cal is coming back. Even if he does I don't think a lush like that should be responsible for the poor thing's care."

"I say we call the pound," Ron replied as he headed for the phone, "We already have two dogs and can't handle another. It's the only way to get rid of that thing."

"They're not open at night, Ron," Judy pointed out.

"I-I'll take him. I want him," Sam stammered.

" _Nooo_!" Wheelie screamed, "Anything but that!"

"Honey, are you sure?" Judy asked; concerned.

"I'm sure, Mom," Sam replied with slightly more confidence than a second ago, "That dog is Mikaela's baby. I'll take him until she comes back for him. Bones is a good boy anyway, aren't you Bones?"

Sam then ruffled the dog's floppy face and ears, and the dog replied by affectionately licking Sam's face. He hugged the dog and looked up at his mom with his own puppy dog eyes.

"See? He likes me. He'll be fine," Sam told her, "I can leave in the morning and drive back to my place with the 'Bots and Bones. I've already got a doghouse outside. Everything will work out, you'll see."

"Well, at least he'll have someone that cares about him," Judy replied with a warm smile, "Look at my son, such a responsible grown up man."

Meanwhile, Brains was still giving the dog the skunk-optic while Wheelie avoided looking at the dog altogether. That overgrown beast reminded Wheelie way too much of Ravage for his comfort.

"You think he'll really make us give up our bachelor pad if he adopts that creature?" Brains asked warily.

"Somethin' ain't right about this," Wheelie declared in a low tone of voice as he touched a servo to his chin, "My beautiful warrior princess would never leave her mutt with her dad for that long. She knew he could step back into his old habits without her around, and the dog don't belong to him. It belongs to her. Brains, I think somethin' terrible has happened to my Mikaela!"

" _You're_ Mikaela? She's Sam's ex, you idiot," Brains pointed out.

"Exactly, his _ex_!" Wheelie waved a digit in Brain's face in triumph, "I still have a chance with her. That's not really the point though. My warrior princess has been gone for two weeks, and she didn't even contact her old mech about the dog. So, that tells me she can't get to a comm system."

"They call them phones, Wheelie," Brains replied sardonically.

"Will you stop interruptin' me!?" Wheelie shouted at Brains irately, "I'm tryin' to say Mikaela is missing! She's gone, and we've gotta do somethin'! What's the comm code for the national guard? We need the national guard, the coast guard, and a lifeguard! No wait, I have an even better idea! We should save her ourselves!"

"I'm not getting off this couch," Brains scoffed, "Do whatever you want Wheelie, but you're wasting your time. Mikaela is probably off doing some femme thing like shopping or polishing a lightweight pistol or something."

"Fine! I'll save Mikaela even if I'm the only one who cares!" Wheelie proclaimed, "You can still make yourself useful though. I want you to call every person you can think of that knows Mikaela. Find out where she's been and where she might be going. I'll be out in the field searchin' for our missing comrade. Maybe when I find her she'll even kiss me!"

"I'm not-" Brains started to say.

"You don't have to get off the couch!" Wheelie finished his sentence with exasperation in his tone, "Here, here's the phone or whatever you call it. Just go through Mikaela's social media accounts and contact anyone who might know where she is! I'm gonna start with all the places in town I know she likes to go. Comm me when you have a lead."

With that Wheelie hopped off the couch and transformed into his toy truck mode. He gave one final honk to scare the dog, and then drove away with a whine in his engines and a purpose on his processor. He would save his beautiful organic queen and maybe finally be considered good enough for her.

* * *

It was getting dark out in the streets of Tranquility and Wheelie still hadn't found a single clue. Mikaela wasn't at the mall, the bike shop, or any of the burger joints she liked to frequent. He checked her college only to find her dorm room had three new girls living there and no sign of his beautiful organic femme. It was as if she had been sucked off the face of the earth.

Wheelie wondered if there was Decepticon involvement. Wheelie had been the minicon of Megatron's right hand mech Soundwave, so he knew how efficient Decepticons could be when they wanted somebody gone. Perhaps Megatron was trying to get to Sam Witwicky and therefore was going to use Mikaela as bait. _That would so be like him_ , Wheelie thought with disgust.

Wheelie never thought he would miss the information network his old master used to employ to spy on everyone, but if Wheelie had access to that now he could locate the human femme. Soundwave was nothing if not efficient, though admittedly he looked really weird when he wired himself into satellite systems; kind of like a kraken wrapping around a boat. Those tentacles sure did hurt, too. Wheelie could still remember being shocked and whipped whenever he would mess up...

"Don't think about that, Wheelie," Wheelie said out loud to himself, "Don't go to that dark place in your processor that makes you freeze up. This is no time for a trip down memory lane. Just stay focused, and figure out what to do next. Okay, so...if I were a human, where would I go? I checked the movie theatre, I checked Burger King, I checked the mall, I checked school, hm...If I were a human, I would go...to the bathroom! Yes, humans are always usin' the crapper! I just have to check every bathroom in town! Yes! I'm a genius!"

Just as Wheelie was about to enter the first public restroom he could find, he got a comm from Brains.

/Hey Romeo, you busy?/ Brains asked sardonically.

/What do you want, Brains? I'm hot on the trail!/ Wheelie snapped as he entered a gas station men's room.

/You in your alt mode? 'Cause you might wanna be stabilized by your tires when you hear this one,/ Brains told him, and Wheelie could tell from his tone of voice that this was big, /I thought about what you said about something being wrong, so I hacked into the main Decepticon radio chatter. You won't believe who's on the planet./

/Is it Soundwave?/ Wheelie gulped fearfully.

/Nah, but it is a name you'll recognize,/ Brains replied almost casually, /Swindle./

Wheelie's engine seized up and he had to fight himself to keep from screaming. Swindle. That was a name he never wanted to hear again. Wheelie felt himself growling before he could stop himself, and was grateful there was no one else in the restroom with him.

/You okay, buddy?/ Brains asked in concern.

/Y-Yeah, I'm...I'm fine,/ Wheelie stammered shakily, /I just...can't believe he's back. I kinda hoped he caught an interfacing-transmitted disease and died, to be honest. Will I be able to avoid him where I'm at?/

/For now,/ Brains replied with a hint of caution, /I heard over the channels that he was last seen near the east coast of this country. Don't worry, he's far away from California. Even if he were here though, he wouldn't find you again./

/You don't know him like I do, Brains,/ Wheelie replied nervously, /He would sell his own creator for the right price, and he'd- wait. Oh no..."

/What?/ Brains asked impatiently.

/OH NO!/ Wheelie screamed, /Mikaela! Oh, I am so stupid!/

/So what else is new?/ Brains joked.

/Shut up, frag wad! This is serious!/ Wheelie snapped, /Mikaela was Sam's accomplice, and Sam destroyed the Allspark and nearly destroyed Megatron. Megatron would do anythin' to make Sam suffer...and he would pay any price to make it happen. You see where I'm goin' with this?/

/You think Swindle-/ Brains began.

/Has my warrior queen! Yes!/ Wheelie finished; on the verge of panic, /Brains, don't wait up for me. I have some investigatin' to do./

With those words Wheelie disconnected the comm and then started comming another number. Where there was one Combaticon there was more, and Wheelie knew if Swindle was on the job he didn't have much time.

/Who is this?/ A proper sounding voice asked suspiciously.

/Hello, is this Blast Off?/ Wheelie whispered into the comm, /I got your number from Ravage. He said you were the Combaticon to call for a traffickin' job./

Wheelie was grateful he couldn't sweat in that moment. He only hoped his lie was convincing enough and that Blast Off didn't try to contact his former fellow spy for confirmation.

/I'm guessing this is about live cargo since you didn't say smuggling,/ Blast Off surmised, /What are you looking for, and what is your designation?/

/Call me, uh...Beavis,/ Wheelie threw out the name on the spot, /And I'm lookin' for a human. She did me wrong, and I want revenge./

/I'm going to need location, age, and any defining characteristics about this female,/ Blast Off rattled off disinterestedly.

/Her name is _Mikaela Banes_ ,/ Wheelie whispered sinisterly; hamming up his role as a mysterious bad guy, /She has tan skin and brown hair follicles. She's also-/

/Stop right there,/ Blast Off sighed, /I'm afraid I can't help you. My associate Swindle has already laid claim to that human and it is on its way to Megatron. Now, if you would like another specimen I would be happy to oblige./

/Nah. That's okay. I'll just go blow up Tokyo or somethin',/ Wheelie said casually to try to sound intimidating, /Thanks anyway. I'll refer the Combaticons to all my Decepticon friends./

/Very good. Blast Off out./

Once the comm was cut Wheelie rolled behind a bush, transformed into robot mode, and keened loudly as he held his helm in his servos. This was bad, and Wheelie knew bad. Soundwave was probably the scariest mech Wheelie had ever known, but Swindle was the literal worst.

Wheelie remembered the orn his innocence and freedom had been taken away from him. It was back when he lived in Zetax, a small town (literally) that was home to thousands of minicons. The Decepticons had killed most of the minicons. Some were enslaved, and others had managed to flee to the Autobots for safety. Wheelie was one of the unlucky ones that had been found by Swindle and taken to Combaticon HQ. From there, Wheelie had been starved, neglected, and told repeatedly that if nobody bought him he would be killed. Their resident interrogator Vortex eyed him like a scraplet eyes a carcass, and Wheelie knew his death would be a slow one if he wasn't rescued soon.

Eventually Wheelie was sold to Soundwave, who was a known collector of minicons and animal symbiotes. Minicons were meant to bond with their masters, but Wheelie could never bring himself to do it. Soundwave hated Wheelie's stubbornness and frequently punished the minicon, but Wheelie knew Soundwave would not kill him. It was weird that he trusted Soundwave that much, but spending so much time with a mech means you get to know their habits. Soundwave preferred bigger targets for his wrath as opposed to his own slaves.

Even to this very orn Wheelie still had nightmares about Swindle and the other Combaticons. Now Swindle had his sweet Mikaela, his strong brave warrior princess. Mikaela had saved him from the Decepticons and helped him settle into a new life. As afraid as Wheelie was, he knew he needed to do the same for her. Wheelie knew what Swindle was capable of, and he couldn't let that happen to the femme he loved, even if she didn't love him back...yet.


End file.
